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Bone Health

Maintaining your bone health throughout your life can help prevent a variety of health conditions, including stress fractures, fragility fractures, osteoporosis, and other forms of bone loss that may occur as you age.

About Bone Health

UT Health Austin’s Musculoskeletal Institute offers patients (14 years of age and older) comprehensive care and personalized treatment plans that address bone health conditions and concerns. Our care team is made up of orthopedic surgeons, sports medicine physicians, physician assistants, physiatrists, physical therapists, chiropractors, nurse practitioners, dietitians, social workers, and more, who work together alongside endocrinologists and rheumatologists to provide a multidisciplinary, individualized approach to caring for your bone health.

Your bone health is dependent on multiple factors. If you have experienced a stress fracture or a fragility fracture, have a history of osteoporosis, are following a diet that may be affecting your bone health, are taking steroids long-term, or are taking other medications that can affect your bone health, you may benefit from seeing our specialists who can help you regain and maintain your bone health.

Treatment Approach

Our care team participates in the American Orthopaedic Association’s Own the Bone program, a national initiative designed to address the prevalence of fragility fractures caused by osteoporosis. This program provides tools and an online registry to enable hospitals, medical centers, and clinical practices to identify, evaluate, and coordinate the bone health management of fragility fractures and patients at risk of complications of orthopedic surgery.

Our treatment plans align with Own the Bone’s 10 prevention measures and are designed with the intention of enabling you to perform the activities you enjoy as well as reduce your risk of bone injuries or developing other conditions related to bone health.

We accomplish this through:

  • A comprehensive review of your medical history, including diet, prescribed medications, supplement usage, and any daily activity/exercise engagement
  • Imaging that assesses bone mineral density
  • Patient education related to the effects of physical activity, diet, and lifestyle on bone mass
  • Performance lab testing
  • Prevention services that help reduce the risk of secondary fragility fracture
  • Ongoing monitoring and care

    If you have healthy bones, fragility fractures should not occur. Up to one-fourth of all men and nearly half of all women will suffer from at least one fragility fracture in their lifetime. Once you have suffered from one fragility fracture, your risk of suffering an additional fragility fracture increases by 2-4 times.

    Steps for improving outcomes related to bone health:

    1. Talk to a medical provider about bone health
    2. Practice recommended low-impact or resistance exercises
    3. Ensure proper calcium intake
    4. Ensure proper vitamin D intake
    5. Limit alcohol usage
    6. Stop smoking
    7. Prevent falls
    8. Address and treat eating disorders

    Appointment Information

    For more information or to schedule an appointment with the Musculoskeletal Institute, please call 1-833-UT-CARES (1-833-882-2737).

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